Kiss Your Scars
by littlewhiteliar
Summary: Blaine Anderson is looking to live this summer. Kurt Hummel just wants to forget the horrors of his junior year. They meet at a restaraunt, they connect at a beach, and their lives become hopelessly entangled at a party. Blaine only has one summer in L.A. to woo Kurt, but if there's a possibility of forever, he'll make it work. -Summer AU-
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi! I'm back with another Klaine AU, and this one'll be a **_**lot**_** longer. **_**Kiss Your Scars**_** will be told in two parts, which gives me quite a bit of time to put our darling boys through hell. ;) Don't worry; I'll try to balance the angst. If you read **_**Post-It Promises**_**, you'll know that this is my second story, and I'm hoping for constructive criticism from my readers. If you've got thirty seconds to leave a review, it'll be much appreciated.**

**This story is unbeta'd, so please excuse any mistakes, but feel free to point them out in a respectful manner.**

**Warnings: First off, this story depicts a same-sex relationship - that is, a romantic dynamic between two teenage boys. If this bothers you for any reason, I suggest you leave. Trigger warnings for mentions of past rape and sexual assault (not majorly detailed but definitely upsetting), and mentions of former emotional abuse from parents directed at child. Some language. Some derogatory terms that I personally loathe but were necessary in the context of the story. Mentions of bullying, but nothing of that in too much detail. Later on in the story, there may be some more explicit sexual situations (of the consensual kind), but I'm not sure. I'll put warnings in the author's note at the beginning of a chapter if it contains anything of that sort.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own '**_**Glee**_**'. It and any songs/lyrics mentioned belong to their rightful owners, and no copyright infringement is intended. **

**This chapter is dedicated to **Orange-Coyote**, who has been just about the sweetest human being on earth to me. Thank you for all your support throughout PIP. **

**- Av**

* * *

**Kiss Your Scars Part I: Summer**

**Chapter One**

The Los Angeles skyline settled against the backdrop of the faded, misty blue sky, stark grays and bright lights like a child's pop up book. Everything seemed too contrasted, too unnatural, and the wrong side up. Kurt Hummel's fingers left smudges on the glass of the airplane window, taking it all in.

A couple of months ago a vacation had seemed a laughable impossibility, but when Burt Hummel thought something a necessity, he made it happen. Especially for his family. Kurt and Finn were both heading into senior year at McKinley, and with their painful junior year over, Burt and Carole wanted the boys to relax some and have a little more peace in their lives. And Burt just wanted his son to experience a place in the world with a bit more acceptance, free of the memories that trapped him in a fitful cycle of torment every night in his dreams.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our descent -_"

Kurt moved away from the window as the voice over the speakers ran through protocol and thanked them for choosing American Airlines in a thoroughly disinterested manner. He reached over and prodded his stepbrother awake.

"Whassat?"

"Up, Finnegan! We're landing," Kurt chirruped, and Finn blinked at him groggily.

"Huh?"

"_Landing_, Finn. In California? Our plane?" Kurt prompted with a hint of exasperation, rolling his eyes. He had an odd sort of fondness for Finn's obliviousness, no matter how annoying it was when he was trying to hold a semi-intelligent conversation.

As the uncomfortable sensation began building in his ears and the airport runway became clearer and closer, Kurt checked his carry-on bag and made sure everything was in its proper place. One last glance out the window, and Kurt was finally smiling a little. The idea of a family vacation had been neither horrible nor overly appealing to him; but now, with a beautiful, sunny, glamorous city rapidly approaching on the other side of his window, he found a spark of something he hadn't felt in a long time stirring in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't New York, but it wasn't Ohio either.

And maybe here he could walk down the street without looking over his shoulder.

* * *

The ratty couch gave an indignant sort of huff as Blaine Anderson flopped down on it, dropping his bag somewhere on the living room floor and squeezing his eyes shut, pretending not to know that his older brother had entered the room behind him.

"'Lo to you too, Blainers. Had a good day? So did I! Wanna know how my audition went? Well, of _course_ you wanna know how my audition went! Well, the casting director is clearly a bit of an idiot, because -"

"Cooper. Coop! Shut the hell up, please."

Cooper's mouth snapped shut and he tossed Blaine a mock resentful sneer over his shoulder as he stomped exaggeratedly into the kitchen, muttering under his breath.

Blaine held in a gulp of air, counting slowly and scrunching up his entire face in exasperation. When he got to ten, he let out a giant whoosh of air and jumped up, his sore muscles protesting.

"Coop?"

"Whaddaya want, Bee?" he asked without looking up from that morning's crossword.

"...Tell me all about it."

* * *

The hotel was deemed decent by a skeptical Kurt and a slightly less harsh Carole; Burt took his blessings where he could find 'em. The two rooms, a single and a double, were directly across the hall from each other. Kurt and Finn put their luggage into the double while Carole decided to take a shower and Burt asked around at the information desk for a suitable restaurant.

Kurt claimed the bed by the window and heaved his suitcase onto it. He'd had to get creative with his packing, but still managed to take nearly everything he wanted with him. Finn was just disappointed that he'd be leaving his video games behind and had barely remembered to pack underwear. Kurt was certain some unlucky member of the cleaning staff would find a stray dirty sock of Finn's rotting away between some bedcovers or something after the Hudson-Hummels had left.

"Dude, look! We've got a balcony," Finn called gleefully. The room was too small for someone Finn's size to successfully bound across, so he settled for bouncing on his heels and grinning at Kurt in childlike excitement.

"Yeah, Finn, with a breathtaking view of the parking lot," Kurt replied with a bemused sort of grimace in his stepbrother's direction.

"Yeah," Finn laughed, "so we can watch people coming in and leaving!"

Kurt didn't understand him, but he did love him.

* * *

Cooper and Blaine were seated across from each other at the small circle table in the kitchen, heads bent together over the crossword as Cooper rambled about his audition and Blaine listened more to the soothing familiarity of his brother's voice than to his story.

"..._if you can believe it_, and then he told me I was 'a bit too enthusiastic for the role', _too enthusiastic for the role_, how is it even _possible_, it's not like I was meant to be playing some _deadpan, humorless _- I mean it was a _detective role_ for fuck's sake!"

"Mhm. Too enthusiastic. I can see where he was coming from," Blaine mumbled, contemplating 6 down.

"Traitor," Cooper scoffed, snatching the newspaper away from his little brother and ignoring his indignant 'hey!'. "Now. What had _your_ panties in such a twist earlier, Blainey? How was work?"

"Same as always," Blaine replied, grabbing the paper back and scribbling in _apathy_.

* * *

L.A. was _full_. It was this feeling of there being no space between anything, of breathing in your surroundings until the stitches Kurt had held himself together with were picked out with the champagne-bubble-burst of it all and somehow falling apart was the absolute best thing he could do.

The evening was cool and tasted like summer and newness and something _happening_ right then, right there, to everyone in the city. Kurt found himself seated between Carole and a wall in the middle of a small but bustling Italian restaurant. The food set in front of him was heavenly, but he was too distracted taking in the atmosphere to eat much. Somewhere in the back, the scratchy voice of microphone feedback alerted the diners that entertainment was on its way.

"Sorry 'bout that guys," said a cheery voice, magnified by the mic. A young man around Kurt's age was now setting up in the corner of the room clearly meant for a performer. A keyboard and a mic had been standing there all night, unused, and were now joined by this boy and his guitar. Kurt watched him from under his eyelashes, hoping not to seem too obvious. His dark hair was styled back with some gel, and he was wearing gray jeans and a black button-down with the cutest little purple bowtie at his throat. Kurt grinned a little at the wide, easy, open smile on the performer's face, and flushed as his dad caught him staring. Hurriedly going back to his food, he kept his eyes down but listened for the first notes of music to fill the restaurant.

It wasn't at all what he expected, but he found his breath cut short as the song drifted lazily, an unobtrusive prodding at the diners' consciousness, there if they wished but politely gentle. Unignorable, though, in Kurt's eyes. That voice was made for the stage. Or maybe the heavens, but since he didn't believe such a place existed, the stage was as close as he'd ever get.

"_It's alright_

_To tell me_

_What you think_

_About me,_

_I won't try _

_To argue _

_Or hold it_

_Against you,_

_I know that_

_You're leaving,_

_You must have_

_Your reasons,_

_The season _

_Is calling,_

_Your pictures_

_Are falling down,_

_Falling down._

_The steps that_

_I retrace,_

_That sad look_

_On your face,_

_The timing_

_And structure,_

_Did you hear..._"

The performer coughed the next line to the chuckles of a few people who were paying closer attention. Kurt suppressed a giddy grin at the cute gesture.

"_A day late, _

_A buck short,_

_I'm writing_

_A report_

_On losing_

_And failing,_

_When I move_

_I'm flailing now._

_And it's happened once again_

_And I'll turn to a friend,_

_Someone who understands,_

_Who sees through the master plan._

_But everybody's gone_

_And I've been here far too long_

_To face this on my own_

_I guess this is growing up._

_I guess this is growing up..._

_And maybe_

_I'll see you_

_At a movie..._

_Sneak preview._

_You'll show up_

_And walk by_

_On the arm_

_Of that guy,_

_And I'll smile,_

_And you'll wave,_

_We'll pretend_

_It's okay._

_The charade, _

_It won't last,_

_When he's gone_

_I won't be back._

_And it'll happen once again_

_And you'll turn to a friend_

_Someone who understands,_

_Who can see through the master plan._

_But everybody's gone_

_And you've been there far too long_

_To face this on your own_

_I guess this is growing up._

_I guess this is growing up..._

_I guess this is growing up, growing up..._

_Well I guess this is growing up..._"

It was an odd moment at the end of the performance, in the transition to the next sweetly acoustic version of another unexpected song. A brief flash of something as Kurt's eyes connected with the performer's. The other boy seemed to drink him in, taking his time unabashedly before slowly lowering his gaze to his fingers on the strings of his instrument. The fragile moment somehow hadn't cracked; instead, it seemed that the boy had handed it to Kurt for safekeeping, until next time.

* * *

No matter how much Finn complained that Kurt took too much time in the bathroom, he himself took forever in the shower. A carelessly off-key version of 'Don't Stop Me Now' muffled with steam was audible through the walls. Kurt, finished with his nighttime skincare regimen, slipped into his pajamas and padded out onto the balcony, leaving the door open a crack.

He leaned on the iron railing, the muggy night air wrapping him in a cloak like protection from his own poisonous thoughts. It was this time of night, before he crawled in bed and squeezed his eyes shut and wished for the mercy of sleep, that the memories flooded back.

_Moist, rank breath on his cheek and a beefy, calloused hand clapped over his mouth to muffle his terrified sobs and pleas and calls for help; it all went unheard as the harsh voice growled crude, angry words in his ear._

"_Little _fag_, just fucking _begging_ for it Hummel - Walking around here like you own the place - look at me, look what you've done to me - Fuck Hummel -"_

_A bite into Kurt's neck, a panicked sob stifled by a pair of lips this time, brute strength holding him against lockers -_

Kurt jolted back to the present, his stomach lurching. He had trained himself over the past few months to not let his mind wander, but sometimes he lost himself.

_Pathetic._

Disgusted with himself, Kurt clenched his fingers around the cool metal railing and breathed in deeply. Once his eggplant parmesan had quit trying to make a reappearance, Kurt sighed and straightened up.

This trip would be a fresh start. The emptiness in his chest would disappear; the strange non-feeling would be replaced with his usual self and he would begin to breathe easily again. As for the feeling of worthlessness? The sense of contamination?

Kurt was good at pretending.

* * *

**Author's Note: And there you go, chapter one far sooner than I expected. Review and I'll give you a cookie, flavor of your preference. Except this is like politics - I can make promise till I'm blue in the face, but that doesn't mean I'll keep them!**

**The song used in this chapter is "Dammit" by Blink 182, but I'm imagining Darren Criss' acoustic cover, which you can find on YouTube.**

**-Av**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hi again! Sorry for the wait. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. This is a pretty long chapter. I'm working on outlining the rest of Part I, and they all look fairly long, so they might take awhile to get up (especially with school starting next week for me), but I hope they end up being worth the wait.**

**This story is unbeta'd, so please excuse any mistakes, but feel free to point them out in a respectful manner.**

**A lot of the stuff about the beach is a mixture of memories from a few of my favorite places in the world, some beaches I used to go to when I was younger and lived closer to them. And Debona is an old family name on my mother's side. **

**Also, I did a bit of research and tried to be realistic with where the Hummel/Hudson clan is staying, but I'm not sure how well I did. Please just pretend it makes sense even if it doesn't. :p**

**Warnings: First off, this story depicts a same-sex relationship - that is, a romantic dynamic between two teenage boys. If this bothers you for any reason, I suggest you leave. Trigger warnings for mentions of past rape and sexual assault (not majorly detailed but definitely upsetting), and mentions of former emotional abuse from parents directed at child. Some language. Some derogatory terms that I personally loathe but were necessary in the context of the story. Mentions of bullying, but nothing of that in too much detail. Later on in the story, there may be some more explicit sexual situations (of the consensual kind), but I'm not sure. I'll put warnings in the author's note at the beginning of a chapter if it contains anything of that sort.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own '**_**Glee**_**'. It and any songs/lyrics mentioned belong to their rightful owners, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**This chapter is dedicated to **Ionaadsila **for her continued kind reviews. And also because peanut butter cookies are my favorite too. **

**- Av**

* * *

**Kiss Your Scars Part I: Summer**

**Chapter Two**

Nick slid a pair of sleek black sunnies over his eyes, sparing Blaine half a glance from behind them.

"Okay. So you see this kid once and it's love at first sight and all that fairy tale shit and you have no frickin' clue who he even is so now you're moping about it to me?"

Blaine glared up at his friend who was just finishing up his shift in one of the lifeguard chairs at The Cove.

"First of all, I never said I'm in _love_ with him; second, you swear a whole lot more during the summer - do you just have an 'off' switch when you're at Dalton or something? And third, you and Jeff complain to me about girls you couldn't possibly be in love with for more than three seconds _all the time_. You owe me three years worth of pining, and I plan on cashing in on it, you ass!"

Nick tipped his sunglasses down his nose and rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

"Yeah, sure Bee, but God - way to pick 'em! You haven't even said a word to this guy. You don't even know his name!"

Blaine's steady glare faltered at this.

"There was a connection," he said firmly, not caring how ridiculous he sounded. "I know there was."

Nick shrugged. "Well, man, maybe he'll show up at Debona's again. You never know. Till then...what can you really do about it?"

"Sulk," Blaine answered promptly, and marched off to get ready for his shift as lifeguard.

* * *

Kurt had never cared for beaches. The places were full of sand and seagulls and salt water and fifty year old vacationers trying to pull off too-tight, too-revealing swimwear of the last century. The best he could say for them was that, at the very least, they were probably a bit cleaner than public swimming pools.

Also, the ocean really was beautiful.

(From a distance.)

Finn dropped his bag as soon as Kurt had located an acceptable spot at the edge of the shadow of one of the lifeguard stands, taking off towards the incoming tide and leaving his flip flops in his wake. Carole sighed as Burt ran to join his stepson, picking up the discarded shoes and laying out her towel in the sun to see if she could work on a tan. Kurt, on the other hand, was perfectly content to sit in the shade of the wooden structure with his iPod and the latest issue of Vogue.

And if he had downloaded that Blink 182 song the charming performer had sung the previous night?

Sue him.

* * *

Blaine, Nick, and Jeff lived for their breaks from the chairs. They were replaced by three lovely ladies from Crawford at two thirty and raced each other to the popsicle stand on the blacktop at the entrance to the beach. The stand was crowded with little kids and a couple of teenagers. Jeff got there first, shoving a ten in the guy's hand and grabbing three bright green lime popsicles from him to hand out to his friends, who joined him seconds later. Sticky drips of sugar and food coloring snaked down their wrists and their tongues turned green as they stood back and watched a mother try to keep her three toddlers in order, laughing breathlessly at nothing and biting into their icy treats.

"Hey, Blaine, c'mon - we've got five minutes left, we should get back," Nick called to Blaine, snapping his fingers in front of the spaced-out boy's face.

Blaine licked a drip of green off the back of his hand and nodded, tossing the empty wooden stick in the trash. He turned to rejoin his friends and promptly slammed into another body.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking -"

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sor-"

Blaine's eyes widened as he took in the boy in front of him, realizing with a start who it was.

"Sorry," he finished breathlessly, and clear blue eyes (almost violet today) met his. "Oh, God, you're - you're you," Blaine babbled stupidly.

"I - I, um -" the boy blinked at him. "I'm...yes?"

"Sorry, sorry, I just -"

"You're the performer," the boy said. "From the restaurant? Debona's?"

"Yes, I -" Blaine was stunned. The boy remembered him? "Sorry, I must sound crazy, and I almost killed you just now, I just - I saw you and - and you're laughing at me. Sorry."

The boy's giggles cut off quickly at that.

"No, no, no! I'm sorry, I didn't - I…" He seemed to gather himself. "I'm Kurt."

"My name's Blaine. And I'd shake your hand, but it's covered in green corn syrupy gunk right now," Blaine laughed awkwardly.

"That's quite alright," Kurt giggled at him.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Blaine! Get a move on, man, we're gonna be late!"

Blaine snapped back to the present and waved at Jeff and Nick.

"Go on back, I'll just be a second," he called, not taking his eyes off Kurt, the angel who he couldn't believe was actually _there_, talking to _him_.

"Well -"

"Kurt -"

They stared at each other.

"You first," Kurt said finally.

Blaine turned red.

"I. Um. Just."

He shook his head. A voice that sounded a whole lot like Cooper prodded his mind, "Do it. What are you waiting for? What have you got to lose? Just do it, Blaine, quit waiting around for stuff to happen and _make it happen_!"

"I'm a little enchanted by you," he breathed, not stopping to think about what he was saying, or how weird it sounded.

Kurt's eyes widened almost comically.

"You - you're - by _me_?!"

Blaine looked him dead in the eye. "Yes. I - yes. And I'm sorry if this is horribly out of line, or if you're not - y'know - gay, or - or whatever else could go wrong but I'm going to be late getting back for my shift anyway and I don't even care but would you maybe go on a date with me tomorrow?"

Kurt just gazed blankly at him, blinking rapidly as if he couldn't believe what was happening. Blaine waited, fidgeting, slowly losing hope and as he did the ridiculousness of the situation began to sink in.

"I...never mind. Sorry. You can just forget about this, okay? Sorry."

Blaine turned and had taken four steps towards the sand when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Wait! Blaine?"

Blaine looked up at Kurt, still flushed red and feeling more than a little foolish.

But Kurt's voice was steady now, if a bit higher than it had been before, when he answered, "Yes, I would love to go on a date with you."

Blaine felt something rise in his stomach, a bubbly sort of anxious excitement that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"You will?"

Kurt nodded, grinning at him shyly.

"I - okay. Okay! Here - do you have a phone on you?"

Kurt nodded again and they exchanged cell phones, each adding their numbers with an astonished sort of giddiness at what was happening.

"I'll just, um, text you with the details, if that's okay?" Blaine asked nervously, unsure how to proceed.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, "that's great. Um, thanks."

They stared at each other almost warily, not quite knowing what to do.

"BLAINE _DEVON_ ANDERSON GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Blaine flinched at the voice of Kara, the lifeguard who covered for him on his breaks.

"Shit. I have to go - I'm sorry. But I'll text you, I promise," Blaine said hurriedly.

"Okay," Kurt laughed. "Get over there! I don't want to get you in trouble."

Blaine nodded and took off, waving behind him. When he reached the chairs, he found himself on the receiving end of the most menacing look he'd ever seen from Kara.

"If you did not get that boy's number I will kick your hot ass, Anderson," she threatened.

Blaine grinned triumphantly, waving his phone at her.

"Did one better, Kara - I've got a date!"

* * *

Kurt had only volunteered to get popsicles for the family because he didn't trust anyone else with such a task. The things were disgusting, but the heat was getting so unbearable that even Kurt had been tempted by the cool ocean water.

Now he found himself frozen in place, too busy staring after Blaine to be bothered by the sand between his toes or the sun on his skin. Or to remember the fact that he had completely forgotten his task and was now walking back towards his family's spot in a daze with a dreamy smile plastered on his face.

He was going on a _date_. With a _boy_. A _cute_ boy with pretty hazel eyes and wild black curls and a smile that made him forget pretty much everything else around him -

Forget. What was he forgetting?

Oh, yeah. The popsicles.

Kurt turned on his heel and headed back to the blacktop, still feeling a bit as though he'd been hit over the head.

* * *

"I can't believe you found him. Who in the hell is _actually_ that lucky?! I mean, we may be in L.A., but Hollywood is a couple miles over guys, this shit doesn't just _happen_ -"

"Until it does," Blaine cut in dreamily, not bothering to acknowledge Nick's rant any further.

"Okay, okay - so you're taking him on a date - where?"

"Ruth's," Blaine answered promptly, even though he hadn't thought about it yet.

"Ruth's," Kara repeated, nodding approvingly; the Crawford girl had stayed to hear the details and make sure Blaine didn't screw anything up. "Okay, Ruth's. That's actually...a really good first date. For lunch, then?"

"Yeah, I'm working in the morning tomorrow but I get off at eleven. So lunch will be perfect."

"Are you playing at Debona's tomorrow night?" Kara asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, at seven thirty like usual."

"Perfect. Tell him that. Just...mention it. If he shows up, you can talk to him there."

"He's with his family, they might not want to -"

"But if he _does_," Kara said firmly.

Blaine nodded.

"Okay. I'll tell him."

* * *

4:34 from Blaine

Lunch 12:30 tomorrow? I could pick you up or we could meet. - Blaine

4:35 from Kurt

Lunch 12:30 sounds good. Pick me up? Don't know my way around, sorry. - Kurt

4:35 from Blaine

All good. :) Where are you staying? - Blaine

4:36 from Kurt

Park Plaza Hotel. Do you know it? - Kurt

4:37 from Blaine

Kinda. Can Google Map it. :) See you tomorrow then? - Blaine

4:37 from Kurt

See you tomorrow, Blaine. :) - Kurt

* * *

"A date. You're going on a _date_."

"_Yes_, Dad. Look, he's _nice_. We're just going out for lunch. We'll be in public, in broad daylight. It's not like anything's gonna _happen_."

"Kurt, I just don't want you to get hurt," Burt sighed, sinking down into an armchair in his and Carole's room back at the hotel.

"Dad," Kurt sighed, something heavy spreading in his chest as he took in his father's words, "Dad, you can't - it's not - I'm _going _to get hurt by boys, and it's not gonna be anyone's fault. Or maybe it is. Either way, it's not the end of the world. Things happen. But you trying to keep me from all that...it's not going to help."

"I know that Kurt. Believe me, I do. But after what happened to you last year -"

Kurt's face hardened. "No, Dad, don't. That was completely different. It shouldn't affect this at all. It was different, and you know it."

Burt shook his head and sighed.

"Just...be careful. You matter. I love you, buddy."

Kurt felt himself deflating. He nodded.

"I will. I know. I love you too."

* * *

Kurt was waiting in the doors at twelve fifteen the next day, nerves fluttering in his stomach and bouncing on his toes impatiently. Ten minutes later a gorgeous green Chevy Nova pulled up at the hotel entrance. The driver's door opened and Blaine stepped out, hair gelled back like the other night at the restaurant, looking like something out of a film. Kurt caught his breath and stepped forward to meet him.

"Hi!" Blaine chirped as Kurt approached.

"Hi! Your car - oh, wow."

"Yeah," Blaine laughed. "My brother and I share it. He's got a taste for old cars. I love it, but it's kind of his baby."

"I can see why. Nova? '62 to '72?"

"Yeah," Blaine replied, a little surprised. "You know cars?"

"My dad's a mechanic," Kurt replied with a grin as Blaine opened the passenger side door for him.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises," Blaine teased as he got in the other side and started the car.

"So where are we going?" Kurt asked.

"Ruth's. I think you'll like it," Blaine replied, stealing a glance at Kurt with a slight smile before turning his eyes back to the road as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"And why do you think you know at all what I'll like?" Kurt asked playfully, settling back in his seat, feeling completely at ease with the other boy.

Blaine's smile widened. "Trust me," he laughed, "it's sort of hard not to love Ruth's."

* * *

Okay, so Blaine had been right.

Ruth's was a small, 50's style diner, bustling with lunchtime customers, bright red and white checkers everywhere. They seated themselves at a red booth table and were handed menus by a blond, ponytailed waitress about their age.

"Hey Ashley!" Blaine greeted her happily.

"Hi Blaine! Haven't seen you and the boys in a bit," Ashley commented, smiling warmly at Kurt as well.

Blaine just shrugged. "This is Kurt. Kurt, Ashley. She's my friend David's girlfriend."

"Not anymore I'm not," Ashley retorted as she and Kurt shook hands.

"On-off girlfriend," Blaine amended. "On an off phase at the moment, apparently," he added.

Kurt laughed. "Nice to meet you, Ashley," he said.

"You too Kurt. Anyone who can make Blaine smile like that is a friend of mine," she said with a wink before sauntering off.

Kurt blushed and examined his menu.

"She's sweet," he commented; Blaine hummed his agreement, leaning his arms on the tabletop and smiling at Kurt.

"Can you trust me?" he asked a moment later.

"I - sure, I guess," Kurt nodded, bewildered as Blaine pried the menu out of his hands.

"Good. Then I've got this covered."

Blaine flagged down Ashley the next time she came around, and she approached the table.

"Ready?"

"Two avocado burgers, one large serving of fries, and two malted strawberry milkshakes," Blaine said with a grin.

"Ooh, treating Kurt to a taste of what you and the Dalton boys like, huh?"

Blaine laughed and nodded, and Ashley left them once again. Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine.

"_Dalton boys_?"

Blaine nodded. "I go to Dalton Academy of the Performing Arts for Boys," he admitted. "I've been there since my sophomore year."

Kurt's mouth was open in a small 'o'.

"So let me get this straight - you're gay, you sing like an angel, you go to an all boys academy for the performing arts in L.A., you drive a Chevy Nova, and you are, excuse me but...just _really_ cute. Why are you on a date with me?" Kurt asked weakly.

Blaine blinked at him.

"Because...because you're sweet, and handsome, and kind of enchanting, and I'd bet my car your voice is really amazing when you sing. And because I just really want to know you for some reason."

Kurt stared at him.

"I still don't get it. But okay," he said with a shocked sort of laugh.

As though his life couldn't have possibly turned into _this_.

* * *

Ohio. Bullies. Dead mothers. A love of music, ambition, dreams, seniors in high school with futures in New York City. That was what they learned they had in common in the first couple hours of their first date. Not all of it was sunshine and rainbows, but that fact was what was so great about it.

Blaine told Kurt about Dalton, about his friends, and the Warblers. In turn, Kurt talked about the New Directions and McKinley. Neither delved too deep into the bad stuff, the hard stuff.

That, Blaine thought, was second date material. Hopefully.

* * *

"Sit. Spill. Now."

Cooper didn't even wait for Blaine to shut the apartment door behind him when he got home, pouncing on his brother and tugging him towards the couch.

"Okay, okay, geez - lemme breathe, Coop!"

"Tell meeee," Cooper whined, bouncing up and down on the couch like a little kid.

"Tell you what?"

Cooper glared at him.

"How was it? Is he hot? Is he _nice_? Interesting? Are you seeing him again? Are you -"

"Whoa, okay, slow down! It was awesome. He's gorgeous, he's a sweetheart, he's the most interesting person I've ever met, and I _hope_ I'm seeing him again."

Cooper paused to take in that information, a slow grin building on his face before fading completely in a flash.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, you _hope_ you're seeing him again? You _hope_? As in you didn't ask him on a second date? You didn't -"

"_Calm down_ Cooper! I have his number. I'm planning on calling him. If I don't see him tonight…" he added slyly.

"_Tonight_?"

"I may have mentioned that I'm playing at Dabona's again," Blaine admitted a little guiltily as he got up and went into the kitchen to get himself a drink. Cooper followed like an eager puppy, his grin returning full force.

"You sneaky little thing you!" he exclaimed gleefully. "Oh, this is great. This is _great_!"

Blaine smiled into his glass of water, leaning back on the counter.

"Did you...um...tell him that…"

"That I live alone with my older brother and our parents actually live in Ohio which is really quite _funny_, 'cause guess where Kurt lives? Mmmhmm, Ohio."

"Oh. Wow. Okay, that was...a lot," Cooper said guardedly. "Yes? I guess."

"Then...no. I figured that wasn't really...first date stuff, y'know?"

Cooper nodded, forehead creased in concern.

"What about...right. So obviously you didn't tell him about dad."

Blaine laughed bitterly, slamming his glass down in the sink a little too hard, his good mood fully evaporated.

"'I'm eighteen in February, I'm a performing artist with a summer job as a lifeguard, and daddy dearest used to beat the shit out of me 'cause I don't like girls. How 'bout you, Kurt?'" Blaine mocked.

"Right," Cooper said quietly.

Blaine collapsed on the couch again, drained.

"Fuck," he whispered. "I shouldn't have asked him out. I should just never date, because how do you tell someone something like that?"

"_Blaine_," Cooper pleaded, "Blaine, don't be - don't say...I'm sure he… You really like this kid, don't you?"

Blaine smiled a little, but something genuine.

"Probably a bit too much," he said softly.

"That's not entirely a bad thing, I don't think," Cooper said.

"No," Blaine agreed thoughtfully. "No, not entirely."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well that was quite the ride. Talk to me! I love hearing from you guys.**

**Up next: Dabona's, meeting the family, a second date, a night on the boardwalk, and an invitation. ;)**

**- Av**


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